Golf club



M. B. REACH Nov. 11, 1958 Filed June 26. 1957 United StatesPawfl GOLF CLUB Milton B. Reach, Springfield, Mass. Application June 26, 1957, Serial No. 668,121' I l 2 Claims.. Cl. 273-164) the mind pictures the mechanics of the swing. It is in this stage of the preliminaries that confidence as to the successful execution of the stroke comes into play. As the swing starts, the eyes, as a rule, concentrate on the back of the ball, and the players head is held steady until impact. The smoothness of the swing reflects the degree of confidence had by the player in the preliminaries. It is noteworthy that the more expert player can confidently propel the ball from-a normal fairway lie,'using a driver for the shot, because he knows that the speed of the club head and theball marking automatically create the desired flight. The average player, on the other hand, needs the assurance of the dominant face loft of a spoon topromote the desired confidence. The tendency of the average player is teen on the side of maximum loft. This produces increased height, more wind difficulty, and loss of distance. The conventional spoon employed in such golf shots has a distinctly convex upper surface, and the eyes of the player, looking down on such a club head, are led groundward by the head curvatures, the impression being much the same as looking down on the back of a turtle. Moreover, the portion of the club head closest to the player's eye, and hence the most prominent portion, is not in the plane of the desired point of impact (the sweet spot) on the face 'of the club but instead is nearer the center of the club head, the region of highest elevation, Using such a club, the average player tends to duck the right shoulder in an effort to produce an upward trajectory of the ball. In so doing, the ball is given too much lift, and an improper shot results. In short, the conventional spoon does not provide the confidence necessary in the shot, and the long flying spoon shot to the distant target, which is one of golfs greatest thrills, is frequently missed.

The club head of the present invention overcomes the deficiencies inherent in conventional wood play club heads, and with the foregoing facts in view it is a principal object of the invention to provide such an improved golf club.

A further object of the invention is to provide a club head of the wood play type which gives an impression of lift and which, therefore, instills confidence and prevents the overcompensation frequently made by the average player.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a club head of the wood play type which directs the eye of the player to the desired point of impact, or sweet spot, and which makes the location of this point most prominent to the eye of the player.

Another object of the invention is to provide a golf club head of the wood play type which has a more favorable distribution of weight than has heretofore been possible.

Patented Nov. 11, 1,958

ice

Briefly stated, the objects of the invention are accomplished by providing a club head of the wood play type: having front face, back, top, bottom, and side surfaces, the top surface having its greatest elevation above the bottom, surface at its junction with the frontv face and sloping rearwardly therefrom toward the bottom. surface. The principal surfaces of the club head havean acute angular relationship, and the top surface of the head is concave, with the concavity centered about the geometric center of the top surface. The junction of the top surface withthe frontface then becomes the region nearest to the eye of the player and hence the most prominent region, and the effect is enhanced by converging markings on the top surface ofthe head which guide the eye of the player directly to the desired impact region. By virtue offthe concavity of the top surface of the club head, the center of mass of the head is lowered, and the total mass re-' further.

duced, so that additional weights may be applied to the lower portions of the club head to make the weight equal to that of a conventional head of the same number and at the same time to lower the center of. mass even The foregoing and other objects of the invention and the exact manner in which such objects are accomplished will become more 'readily apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which'illustrate a preferred embodiment ofthe invention and wherein:

Figure l is a perspective view of the club head of the invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the head of Figure 1;

, Figure 3 is a front-to-back vertical sectional view taken" along line 3-3 of Figure 2 in the direction of the arrows;- and I Figure 4 is a side-to-side vertical sectional view taken along line 44 in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, the club head 10'of'the' attached to a conventional shaft), a front face 16, a rear surface 18, a top surface 20, and a bottom or sole surface- 22. The principal surfaces of the club head are the front; face 16, the top 20, and the bottom 22. The bottom surface 22 is preferably slightly .cylindrically convex sothat its front-to-back center line is substantially fiat as shown in Figure 3, and its side-to-side center line is curved as shown in Figure 4. g

As shown in Figure 3, if the club head is placed on a level surface, a line A perpendicular to the bottom surface 22 at its geometric center will be substantially vertical. The top surface of the club head slopes rearwardly from its region of greatest elevation at the junction with the front face 16, downwardly toward the bottom surface 22. The front face 16 meets the bottom 22 at an acute angle. The top surface 20 meets the front face 16 at an angle of not more than so that this angle may also be considered acute. A rearward projection of the top surface beyond the rear surface 18 would meet a similar rearward projection of the bottom surface 22 at an acute angle. Thus, the three principal surfaces of the club head have an acute angular relationship.

Again referring to Figures 3 and 4, the top surface 20 of the club head is made dished or concave, with the concavity generally spherical and centered on the geometric center of the top surface and over the center of the head mass. With the club head in the normal position of Figure 3, a line B drawn perpendicular to the top surface 20 at the geometric center of the surface would have a rearward slope as shown. If the club head were tilted so that the line B became vertical, a plane conbe substantially horizontal. From its maximum elevation i a hae a at the periphery, the top surface would extend downwardly toward the geometric center in slopes of varying pitch. With the club held in its normal position, if lines were drawn perpendicular to the elemental slopes stich lines wen-1 intersect an imaginary axis from the club head to e-p y ey t d fi t he sh h at d f erent angles." j y e ne su t h the c e oihs-he d eq ifi r ti n is that w n th hib h d behihd the ball l h p e i s t a s s r keth 'eye is d ected t the a st e i h of the e u ead, wh h is t e j h t o f t ei' op si face wit the trqnt fa e ant t e s tihhqii u w d s ope o he. 9? surfa toward this .iunetiQh to: sethe 'thei ch a i y 9 the t p swim .e eat ah mpress oho lift wh ch has been t imd P ac ice to t l1i hei ee sa y .eohfide ee in the P y an e hate the u ual tendenc to due s th sh sh lde nd pm ue 'teemue ft-- 11 ee withebl ea e he l The foregoing effect is enhanced by providing markings'28 .on the ripper surface of the club head which converge'towardthe location of the point of impactpr sweet spot and which direct the eyes of the player to this point.

The sweet spo may b qea e a appro imately t e ter of an insert 24 on the front face of the club, This weights comprise comminuted litharge or similar material distributed in a rubber matrix and'may be bonded or otherwise attached to the club head. The dish top construction of the invention also permits the use of plastics of higher specific gravity than wood in manufacturing the club head and yet retains the desirable deep striking face of the club head to accommodate the wide flattening of the ball under impact and prevent a well hit ball from riding oyer the top of the club and lose ns t m yb h-s peda sh w in Fi u e 3. a dmey b tteehed o th lu d y suita le screws v 26.. Inserts of metal, fiber, or other materials may :be employ .as s well -known color with the-remainder of the top surface.

By virtue of the elimination of the club head'materiali nermally present in the .convex curvatures .of the .conventional club heads, the weight of the [club head of the invention is substantially reduced, the configuration of the invention reducing the weight of an equivalent wood n ay head. :by about three quarters of -an ounce. Such weight reduction at the same time lowers "the center of mass of .the head, which has a beneficial eflfect on the swing, and the effect may be further accentuated by add- The. fl ngS ave also been found to emphasize the impression of lift and mayqcontra-st ;in

distance in so doing. I

From the foregoingdescription of the invention it will be apparent that a golf club haying unique characteristics "i's'provided. While a preferred" embodiment of the invention has "been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made without departing from the principles and spirit of he inv htioh, th .e pe whi h is g fihgd in the apend d eeetd h -y the'toreaeins tha imiet is to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive f he JQYWQQQ nd he e n qifie tio whi me 'w th the mea ng s ra e f e u a ncy o he sle h are;

1 a s lhhia he d o th weed ii y t pe hay h's a substantially flat bottom surface s bs'tantiall'y perpe dic ular to the ye rti cal axis of the head, a frontfaegand;

a t sur ace whi h ePe eeh n ie e i iv watdl and 1; e -t e b. 1 and heme e hfidenc to the. ;swing of t e.

user. I v v 2. The club of claim 1, further comprising markings Q1 sa d ts-P surf ce yv ieh zqonyerge toward :the .point-Iof Anit i lt id fi ht aee.

;Reteienees Qited in the file of this patent 

